Invasion of Valvolux
Log Title: Invasion of Valvolux Characters: * Blast Off *Discretion *Brawl *Dust Devil * Prowl *Scourge *Encore * Shockwave * Squadron X (Earthquake, Fang, Ferak, Macabre, Valve) *Floodlight *Windblade Location: Valvolux, Eastern Industrial Plains, Cybertron Date: Thursday 2018 May 17 06:28:06 PM TP: March West TP Summary: The Decepticons launch an assault on Valvolux. Category:2018 Category:Logs Category:March West TP As logged by Anher ;Discretion :This Seeker is a less standard design, more slender and a bit shorter than the normal design. Her chassis is that of an adolescent Cybertronian, all gleaming white but spartan in decoration. Her red optics gaze out from under a standard Seeker helmet colored silver, framing a heart-shaped younger face. Her chest plate is divided by a very smooth cockpit that narrows down into an elegantly thin nosecone that locks into her midriff, and rests between her rounded hips, with downward-angled rounded engine intakes on either side of her breastplate. Her upper legs are more curved than that of a standard seeker, with a red stripe running down the outer side of either to where they disappear into silvery armored boots with short upcurving fins protruding from the back. Rather than curved up like standard Seeker wings, hers are angled downards, thinner and longer, with a silver Decepticon insignia on either one set in a thick red stripe that runs down either wing. Oddly she doesn't have the standard Seeker arm cannons, instead preferring a silvery elegant electro-laser pistol as her main obvious weapon. Valvolux - Northeastern Cybertron :Once a burgeoning manufacturing area known for its custom regulators, this industrial sector has seen some of the most violent fighting in the long and bitter wars. Its hollowed-out factories and shattered roadways display the scars of millenia of conflict. The Cybertronian Ministry of Energy and Nutrition lies in ruins, long ago picked clean by scavengers. While much of Cybertron is witnessing a new reawakening, Valvolux has yet to fully recover. Valvolux. The first major objective in Shockwave's conquest of Cybertron's recovering industrial sector. The Autobots knew they were coming, courtesy of Elita One's ambush, and so the Decepticon infantry commander has decided to alter the variables. Those heavily wounded in the fighting have been dispatched as scouts or to guard key points along their route. In their place, the purple cyclops has stocked his shelves with fresh troops, a revitalized Squadron X and himself. He walks in the midst of the ground troops, his single optic trained on the horizon, data cycling constantly through his mind. The Decepticon war machine is coming, Autobots. I hope you brought your fighting pants. Windblade is in her jet mode, soaring high above the would-be battlefield, as she radios down to Prowl, >> Yeah, I see them. They're definitely coming in just the way you predicted they would. << With that report, she banks and guns it for the Autobot lines... she knows the 'Cons consider her a target, so she doesn't exactly want to give them more opportunities than necessary. Scourge crouches as he evaluates the scene before him while choosing a target to attack. His Sweeps are with him, ready to tear into the Autobot forces with eager readiness. Perhaps that flying autobot femme would make an appealing target... Floodlight is one of the scouts, flying way ahead of the Decepticon line in her little jet mode. Unlike Windblade, Floodlight remains close to the ground, flitting from cover to cover. She scans the Autobot position and sends the data back to Shockwave for analysis. She keeps her own commentary to herself for now, feeling like she'll have little value to add to Shockwave's calculations. Blast Off is here, soaring the skies above most of the others because looking down on others is a rather a hobby of his. That, or it's just habit and circumstance, plus a little denial. Either way, he exudes his customary aloof, aristocractic air as he catches some air, too. The shuttle scans the ground below, seeking targets. No silent approach? No sneaking? Brawl can get behind that! Or in front of it. Or anywhere inbetween. So all it took was someone pointing him in the direction of Valvolux and promising him the chance to do violence. Thus Brawl treads along the warpath to Valvulux in his tank mode. Squadron X walk alongside Shockwave into battle. In their collective minds they're walking in slow-mo... the baddest group of Decepticon bruisers in the Empire. Except for the Combaticons. And the Mayhem Attack Squad. And the Stunticons. And any three Decepticon-aligned Mini-cons. Nonetheless they have weapons ready and say things like, "Let's get this party started!" Dust Devil is mostly listening to orders and just ready to engage if he needs to. He's already reminded Windblade to not get herself captured if she can help it. He's still moving slow from the damage he took hoping to save her last time. Unlike Shockwave, Prowl -isn't- waltzing out into the open. Because he recognizes he isn't as physically tough as the big purple cyclops. Either that or not as overconfident. In either case, he's sitting inside one of the city's defensive structures. Currently, he is busy reviewing the situation below, determining the best strategy to send the enemy forces into retreat. << Copy that Windblade. >> He responds to the cityspeaker. Shockwave was certainly brilliant -- if predictable. Especially by someone who thinks just like him. Floodlight's recon would reveal that it seems the Bots are mostly hunkered down in trenches or behind the city's outer defenses--thus, it's difficult to determine exactly how strong their forces are in number. However, there are a lot of drones swarming near any of the gates to the bunkers, as well as automated defenses poised to attack as soon as anyone gets in range... And speaking of in range, Floodlight is in range. Well, not in range of the autoturrets, but in range of Prowl's missiles. Figuring she must be a scout, he determines that taking her down before she can relay any more important information to the enemy would help maximize their chances of success. So, he moves out to the top of the wall, waits for her to pop out of cover for a few seconds, and gets a lock on the scout as best he can. An incendiary missile launches at her as the strategist hopes it will strike before she can find cover again. ;Discretion :The Grumman X-29 is a strange looking if elegant design, slender and rounded with a gleaming white chassis, with a rounded cockpit and a needlenose cone in front of it. What sets it apart is its forward angled wings with curving red stripes that give it extreme manuverability, at the cost of control. Short fins protrude from either side of the cockpit for additional control surface, with rounded jet intakes just above and in front of them. At the back is a backwards angled tailfin. Discretion is also skimming low over the terrain making sharp, rapid backs and turns amongst the ruined buildings and their spires. It's approach, however, is from a more southerly direction with all sensors going to catch those who might otherwise go unnoticed. The missile streaking overhead confirms her suspicions, as well as pinpoint a potential target for later action. Another bank see the aircraft streaking towards the Atuobot lines. Circling above Valvolux one will find a big, fat airplane. Four propellor engines, and a hell of a lot of guns along his left side. Encore might not wear trousers, but he's definitely brought his fighting kilt, and he definitely doesn't like Shockwave's tweeds. As the Decepticon lines approach, the big Autobot drops one wing and begins to rake fire across Squadron X with a short, flatulent burst from his 25mm cannon! >> Encore strikes Squadron X with Avenger . << Analyzing the additional data the Floodlight sends him, Shockwave sees the distant flare of a missile. It would seem they have been noticed. That lies within predicted parameters. Then comes the plane opening fire on Squadron X, which he is periously close to. Igniting his boot jets, Shockwave hops aside and glances briefly at the foolish Autobot. Hailing his troops, Shockwave issues orders: << This is Shockwave. Brawl, you are to bring your full might to bear and rush the Autobot defenses. Overwhelm them. Blast Off, I require aerial superiorty. If you spot any artillery, disable it or report it. Squadron X, deal with that aircraft. Scourge - I do not know if she will risk appearing again, but if the Autobot known as Windblade shows herself, bring her in if possible, drive her off if not. All additional forces, attack. Bring the Autobots down. >> Windblade banks around, increasing her throttle as she follows after Encore, firing into Squadron X on her own strafing run as she sticks close to the big guy as an impromptu escort. >> Windblade strikes Squadron X with Laser . << The Sweep leader spots his target, and waits until Windblade flies within range of where he's waiting. Optics narrowing, the Sweep pounces, attempting to land on the Autobot jet's airframe and tear at the wing joints with his talons. >> Scourge strikes Windblade with Claw. << Floodlight zips along between structures on the outskirts of the city, making reports on what Autobot positions she can scan. Suddenly, however, her defensive systems light up like a Primus tree, warning her of incoming missiles. Moving like a hummingbird on amphetamines, she zips behind the wall of an old abandoned factory just as the missiles hit, radioing in, << I'm under attack! >> By then, tho, Encore is already Squadron X, and Floodlight fears she must fend for herself. She engages her tiny wing-mounted blasters and scans for likely targets. Superiority is Blast Off's middle name!!! ...er, something like that. "<< I will show these Autofools what true aerial superiority looks like!" >> He answers Shockwave, then arcs to run a long series of scans for artillery, sending back scans and locations of turrets, clustered troops, and other targets. A set of missiles launching from a tower catches the shuttle's attention, as they streak towards Floodlight. She manages to evade before the Combaticon can send warning. Assuming he would have. ...Probably. Maybe. Hmm. " << Looks like there's weapons over there... taking them out now. >>" the Combaticon pronounces with confidence, taking aim with his wing lasers for the place he saw Prowl's missiles launch from. INCOMING! >> Blast Off strikes Prowl with Laser . << As soon as the Decepticon forces get in range of the defenses, the autoturrets open fire full blast, and drones immediately start coming down hard on the frontline infantrymechs. Most of the Bots' general forces remain behind barricades, firing over the top of them at the incoming onslaught. There are definitely several well-guarded artillery emplacements behind all of that, periodically firing long-range projectiles into Shockwave's forces. Prowl curses when Floodlight manages to get behind cover before the missile connects, but it's too late to concern himself about the scout now anyway since the Decepticons are already at the door. He withdraws back inside to the console he was using to examine the battlefield, taking the time to reassess. << Windblade, Encore -- I want you leading the aerial assault -- ground them, -permanently-. All other forces, fortify defenses around all other sectors except alpha 5-2-2 -- we'll funnel them all into the danger zone and hit them hard with the artillery all at once. >> Just as he was finishing giving that order, Blast Off's wing lasers blow the top off of the turret housing he was taking cover in. "Bold move." he comments, and sends a missile at the shuttle as well. >> Prowl strikes Blast Off with Incendiary Missile . << Brawl will comply. Mostly because he is being told to do something he already wants to do. Brawl picks up in speed (which really isn't much), ready to knock over anyone that gets in his way, as he charges the Autobot's defenses. Meanwhile his turret is swivelling between possible targets. There may be a case of eeny-meeny-meiny-mo going on before he lobs off an arcing shot indiscriminately into the Autobot forces; just a little place-warmer until he can get close enough to smash those pesky barricades. "YEEEE-HAW!" >> Brawl strikes Dust Devil with Thermal-Shells . << <> Dust Devil says, "Yeah...Encore is a little on the slow side. I think Encore only achieves flight because the planet is moving out from under him. " <> Prowl says, "Are you questioning my orders?" <> Dust Devil says, "Usually" <> Prowl says, "Can it, Dust Devil." <> Suicide JOCKEY! Encore says, "I dinnae mean any offense, sir, but I cannae hit shit in air-to-air. It's a waste of my capabilities." <> Prowl says, "Well, once they are down, -someone- needs to keep them down there, isn't that right, Encore? So do your job." <> Suicide JOCKEY! Encore says, "Jes' makin' sure you ken what I can do, Prowl." Squadon X's cool entrance is shattered as Encore rakes them with 25mm fire. Triton screams as rounds rip into his yellow face and armor, driving him back and nearly bringing him to his knees. Fang growls and fires back at Encore as Windblade comes around for a second round. Macabre yells, "Take them, my squadron! Show the likes of Squawktalk and Take-Off who the real power is behind the Decepticons' unstoppable might!" While Macabre is rousing the troops, Ferak takes to the air, transforming into his hunter-seeker skyship mode to give chase to Encore. As Scourge descends on Windblade, Ferak opens fire on Encore. Meanwhile Earthquake and Valve continue towards the city. >> Squadron X strikes Encore with Laser . << Dust Devil is busy sassing the upper management when the whistle of incoming ordinance echoes in his audios. He suddenly dives to the ground to avoid being hit and feels the fiery waves kiss his paint job, blistering it where it hit pretty darn close. Optics narrow and he focuses on Brawl. "So glad yer incompetance includes inability to kill Autobots." He raises his turrets and fires at Brawl. >> Dust Devil strikes Brawl with Plasma-Turrets . << Discretion pulls up into a steep climb as she weaves between drones and fire from both sides. Her sensors identifying targets and probabilities to actually cause maningful damage causes her to discard Windblade for the moment and instead focus on the hunter-seeker who just managed to score a hit on Encore. As she streaks towards him a faint hum and sparking begins to gather along the fron edge of her wings before it is releases in a crackling arc of lighting towards Ferak. >> Discretion strikes Squadron X with Electrical Shock . << (Radio) Discretion transmits, "Thought you could use the help." to Encore. Encore sends a radio transmission. (Radio) Encore sends Discretion a radio transmission, 'Much 'bliged!' As the battle lurches forward, Shockwave does not actively seek to engage any of the major defenders. He instead focuses on the battle, his optic taking in everything, his gaze adjusting frequently to keep tabs on the various combatants near his position. He makes adjustments on the fly to troop placements, but for their part, the Decepticon thrust is largely an all-out assault rather than any tool requiring finesse. Still, it would not do to leave all of the work to his troops. Raising his arm, Shockwave draws a bead on one of the nearby turrents and opens fire, a beam of violet energy lancing toward it and its various defenders. Encore listens carefully to his orders, nodding a little at Prowl's last comment. Tha' makes sense. He cusses as the laser strikes home, scoring a neat furrow deep into his armour and blasting off a piece of his aileron. He cusses, correcting for the damage, about to re-adjust to fore at Ferak, when the Dominicon announces she has it covered. A wiggle of the wings and he banks hard, dropping altitude even further. Now his bofors gun wakes up, tracing across Earthquake and Valve for a moment. Then he spits a fat string of shells down at them, blasting craters for the round amongst the approaching Decepticons. <> he bellows >> Encore misses Squadron X with Bofors Cannon . << Windblade yelps as Scourge claws at her, then suddenly banks and transforms in midair, drawing out her energy blade in a fluid motion, "Okay, if you want to dance, we can dance!" With that, she pivots and makes a slash towards Scourge, trying to keep him away from both her and Encore. The jet does a quick flip in midair, wings folding back and legs and arms extending from the fuselage to reveal Windblade! >> Windblade misses Scourge with Slash. << The Sweep Leader smoothly avoids the slicing blade as Windblade reacts to having her wings torn at. He smirks. "Nice try, but not good enough," he rasps, his headcannon glowing luridly as he prepares to shower Windblade in an acid beam blast. >> Scourge misses Windblade with Acid-Ray . << Floodlight flits behind the wall, but no further attacks come her way. After a moment, she transforms, landing lightly and peeking gingerly out of cover. She watches the fight silently, her large optics scanning the combatants and beaming the data directly to Shockwave, acting as his eyes on the ground. Her fear of dying is completely sublimated into an intense focus on her job. "Fear is the mind-killer," she quotes quietly, recalling a useful mantra from some Earth-based religion. "Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me." Remaining calm, she continues to relay data to Shockwave. Blast Off strikes the tower. (Of course, he's just that good!) But as the shuttle prepares to send a triumphant radio message proclaiming his unseen enemy vanquished, said unseen enemy strikes back, not quite so vanquished after all! It catches the shuttle by surprise, thrusters just starting to push him higher into the sky when the missiles catch up. Part of his side fuselage gets torn clean off, the glass cannon Combaticon not taking direct hits too well. "<< Gahh! >>" Ouch. Armor plates and a few heat shield ceramic tiles glitter and stream downward as he spins in the air, trying to stablize. "<< WELL. How RUDE. >>" The shuttle finally draws a steadier course, though he's losing some altitude. Arcing around, the shuttle engines HURRUMPH and HUFFF as he locks sights on the tower once more. "<< Whoever you are, it seems you have a bit of *attitude*, how uncouth. I shall have to correct that! >>" This time, the X-ray laser under his nosecone begins to warm up. Not quite at full force yet, it fires! >> Blast Off misses Prowl with X-Ray-Laser . << As ordered, the Autobots seem to start taking more hits and begin falling back away from a particular section of the outer defenses located in a sort of 'nestled' position near the west quadrant of the city. As a matter of fact, the fortifications in that area seem to be crumbling more quickly than the rest--in fact, if the Decepticons focused fire and charged that one weakened section of the Bots' defenses, they could very easily just punch right through and decimate from within. Blast Off's attack goes mostly...well, ignored. Especially since Prowl is busy coordinating his own forces and making sure they retreat from the places that need to be retreated from, but not -too- quickly to seem suspicious. The banter is also ignored. Instead, the strategist moves to another emplacement on the west side, ducking into the artillery's control hub. Brawl growls at Dust Devil's retort. "I'm just getting started, Autobrat!" Brawl roars, incensed more by the taunt than the hit he took. If Brawl wasn't already maxing his meager speed, he'd really kick it into gear now. With the Autobots withdrawing, he has not quite reached close quarters so he returns fire to sate his need for carnage - and to politely inform Dust Devil that he doesn't appreciate being called incompetent. >> Brawl strikes Dust Devil with Ballistic . << Ferak howls as he's struck by a combatant he never expected. "Aaaaargh! Who is that? When did the Autobots get this much air power?" He breaks off his attack on Encore, banking around to try to bring the fight towards whomever is attacking him. "Who are you, anyway? You don't look like any Autobot I know!" Not waiting for an answer, he opens up with his wing lasers. Fang and Macabre join in the fire from below, as Triton retreats and Earthquake and Valve continue towards the city. Valve smiles as Shockwave obliterates one of the turrets, and Earthquake raises his hand, directing the surface of Cybertron itself to rise up and overwhelm the front line of Autobot ground troops. Before Earthquake can close his fist and crush them, however, Encore moves in with a string of shells. The members of Squadron X are forced to break off the attack to scatter and dive for cover. "I should have stayed with the Wreckers," Valve mutters darkly, shaking his fist at Encore. >> Squadron X misses Discretion with Heavy Laser . << Dust Devil growls as he's struck by Brawl's attack. "You might be just gettin started but I'm thinkin I aughta finish it." He focuses his turrets on Brawl and intensifies the blast, "So ya think yer hot stuff..." >> Dust Devil strikes Brawl with Plasma . << Discretion rolls sideways, minimizing the area her former comrade could hit and watches the lasers streak by. "You never were very bright." Another roll and bank and she's behind him, letting loose her own barrage of laser fire. >> Discretion strikes Squadron X with Laser . << Shockwave continues to observe the battle while opening fire on Autobot troops and their fortifications. Between his own analysis and the data provided to him by Floodlight, he takes notice of the fact that one particular point in the Autobots defenses seems to be giving way. Utilizing the accumulated data, he quickly plots out the various troop movements and notices what would surely be lost to a less perceptive eye - the Autobots seem to be intentionally, if cautiously, pulling away from that particular area. Why? He takes a step backward from the fighting, scanning over the battlefield. That is when his logical processes zero in on the missing variable - massed artillery. That one spot is in sight, and reach, of much of what they have. Still, if the Autobots intend to hand him an opportunity, he will exploit it on his terms. << Blast Off, >> he radioes, << I am going to make an opening in the Autobot defenses. Destroy the surrounding artillery ahead of a ground assault. Speed essential. Expect heavy resistance. >> Then he leaps, ignoring the rest of the fighting as he twists and converts into his giant laser gun form. He draws in power, aiming, and launches a massive beam of violet energy toward the city's wall and proximity defenses. Shockwave leaps into the air, his legs and arms fusing together as a silver cannon barrel appears from subspace and locks into place to form a flying space gun. <> Shockwave says, "Blast Off. I am going to make an opening in the Autobot defenses. Destroy the surrounding artillery ahead of a ground assault. Speed essential. Expect heavy resistance." Brawl just belts out a cacophonic laugh. "You ain't finishing nothing with puny attacks like that!" Speaking of finishing, the Combaticon tank has finally reached the very outer defenses and attempts to smash through any obstacles in his way. Yeah. Now he's getting to the smashing part and is now pointedly ignoring Dust Devil. Smash smash tra la la. (Radio) Discretion transmits, "They're on to your strategy. Shockwave is about to unleash on on your defenses and have Blast Off go after the remaining artillery trained on your choke point." to Prowl and Encore. Encore sends a radio transmission. (Radio) Encore sends Discretion a radio transmission, 'Appreciated. Suggestions? I was aboot tae shell him wit' my big gun. Should I swap tha' and blind him?' (Radio) Discretion transmits, "It's worth a shot." to Encore. Encore growls quietly as he sees Shockwave begin transforming into cannon mode. Och! Nae on his watch! He turns to put Shockwave square off his wing, his 105mm howitzer coming to life and pivoting to take aim at the Decepticon leader. The autoloader suddenly stops, however, half-way through loading around as he gets a radio message. The shell is extracted, and then replaced - with a wide, flat-fronted shell. '105mm -FLASHBANG' is painted on the shell. The gun blows a perfect smoke-ring as it fires, the shell's flat front making it tumble and slow down, to the point where it detonates maybe three metres from Shockwave with a bright magnesium flare and a loud burst of noise - both electromagnetic, and actual noise. Even if you're not looking at it directly, it's going to leave one hell of an after-image... >> Encore strikes Shockwave with 105mm Starburst . << >> Shockwave temporarily loses motor functions from the attack! << <> Suicide JOCKEY! Encore says, "NOW TRY AN' SEE, CYCLOPS!" <> Discretion says, "Nice shot!" Prowl receives a communique from Discretion. It seems Shockwave has figured him out. Of course, it would have been surprising if he -hadn't-. But he counted it at least 84 percent likely that despite knowing this 'weakness' was intended as a trap, the Decepticons still wouldn't be able to resist the desire to exploit it in some way... And, sure enough. He watches as Shockwave blasts the weak point with his powerful alt mode, completely annihilating a large section of the outer defenses and leaving it open for a full on assault from all units. It is, however, a pretty narrow section, just as Prowl had intended. He opens a comm back to the Bots' frequency. << Copy that Discretion, I doubt Blast Off will be able to take down everything in that sector alone, but why don't you and Windblade just make -sure- he can't. >> Windblade dodges to the side of Scourge's acid spray, then smiles wryly at him, "Sorry, previous engagement." With that, she flies off and away from Scourge, angling towards Blast Off as she adjusts the controls on her energy blade, the weapon changing configuration into a particularly nasty plasma gun. Which she then aims at Blast Off and fires! >> Windblade misses Blast Off with Plasma . << "Oh no, I must insist you stay. I'm afraid you have an appointment with Starscream," Scourge growls insistently, "Your previous engagement is hereby cancelled. I'm sure Blast Off will understand." He attempts to restrain Windblade and drag her down with his claws. >> Scourge strikes Windblade with Slice. << Floodlight sees the flash of light overhead, even from behind her burned-out factory cover. Her large optics widen to see Shockwave ironically overwhelmed, however briefly, by electromagnetic energy. No! Not the commander! Not on Floodlight's watch! Transforming into her hover jet mode, she flit up and charges Encore, lasers on both wings firing at once. She hears a strange sound as she rushes forward, and only realizes as she engages Encore that it's her own screaming in rage. >> Floodlight misses Encore with Laser . << Blast Off does NOT like being ignored. Speaking of RUDE. HOW DARE. Not only that, his X-ray laser gets deflected with the tower's defenses, going on to blast something unessential and completely off his mark. "<< What the... >>" The shuttle's engines grumble with annoyance. This Combaticon sniper does NOT like to miss. He stakes a lot of pride on his marksmechship. This won't do. He's about to take another shot when he gets the transmission from Shockwave. Oh. The shuttle immediately turns his attention to the spot in question. "<< Understood. Well, I can reach 26,000 mph, I think I have the speed part covered... >>" There's a haughty little sniff from the shuttle (somehow) as he veers towards his new objective. Take out that artillery, weaken the Autobot defenses for a flood of Decepticons. Now if he can make it without being hit... whoop. Windblade fires a plasma gun. #Nope. The Combaticon is able to make evasive maneuvers, twirling as he picks up speed and moves past her, "<< You'll have to do better than *that*, >>" he chortles as he passes by. Silly Autobots. Besides, looks like Scourge has it covered now- the coast is clear(ish). Locking onto target, the Combaticon again aims lasers as he comes in fast. His lasers hum to life and ratta-tatta-tats a long, sweeping strafing attack as he attempts to wipe the slate clean of the obstacles. <> Suicide JOCKEY! Encore says, "Lass! Need help?" <> Windblade says, "Oh, all I can get! This guy doesn't know when to quit!" <> Suicide JOCKEY! Encore says, "Guide him under me!" Sure, 26,000mph. In space, maybe. Down here on Earth, such speed would knock stuff down on everyone--including his own people. And not to mention set the atmosphere on fire around him, so it's kind of a moot point but quite expected from Blast Off to be using every excuse he can to brag about his abilities. At any rate, as Blast Off goes charging in, but suddenly all the Autobots' fire including Prowl's is focused on him, as per the strategist's orders. Since, you know, the guns have to be up in order for this funneling into a death trap plan to work. << Autobots, focus fire on Blast Off whenever he comes in range. We -can't- let him take out any of the artillery. >> As luck would have it, the Combaticon manages to do some damage to one of the guns without getting shot out of the sky -- yet. >> Prowl strikes Blast Off with Dual Missiles . << Ferak gasps. "How can you say that? You don't know me! I could have been the top gradua---" His words are cut off as Discretion nails him in the cockpit, and the Xer goes down in flames, exploding several hics away from Valvolux. "How DARE you?" Macabre screams, firing up at Discretion. "Do you know who we are? You've invited the wrath of SQUADRON X!" Macabre gives a running start, and then transforms into a bat-winged glider. It takes him a moment to find the proper air currents, but soon he's soaring like a kite, and opening fire with dual machine-guns. "For the Squadron!" he screams, gliding towards Discretion. The rest of the squad gawk upward with their mouths open as the sky bursts from night to day from Encore's attack on Shockwave. >> Squadron X strikes Discretion with Ballistic . << Dust Devil is found ineffectual by Brawl who leaves the inept Autobot to do more important things. Dust Devil apparently doesn't have any time to do anything about the slight as he is forced to protect other Autobots from Blast off's area attack with his forcefield. Discretion watches Ferax drop to the surface of the planet like a short lived meteor. Sadly that's enough of a distraction to allow the glider's bullets to find purchase in her armor, pock marking it's surface. A hard bank and climb takes her out of Macabre's range as she reorients on Blact Off. That omnious hum building and building and building up electricity dances and crackles angrily over her wings. A violent -CRACK- splits the air as it is released in a series of snaking fingers towards the shuttle. >> Discretion strikes Blast Off with Electricity-Surge . << >> Blast Off temporarily loses motor functions from the attack! << Encore ducks a wing as Floodlight comes for him. He yelps, pulling a roll to evade the incoming laser fire, shedding several hundred metres of height in the process. He frowns, catching sight of the Windblade-Scourge fight. Shockwave is blinded and unable to fire a second time - at least, not accurately - which should give him a few minutes to help out a fellow Bot. He banks away from Shockwave. He might have /said/ he's not very good at air-to-air, but in a pinch, his 40mm Bofors gun was designed for air-to-air work. He launches a fat string of the huge shells at Scourge, attempting to distract him from his target! >> Encore strikes Scourge with Bofors Cannon . << Shockwave was about to open fire on the artillery in the wake of Blast Off's run. He was about to turn himself loose on the Autobot defenses, thereby paving the way for a quick and decisive thrust to end this farce of a defense by the Autobots, but then Encore happens. His sensors knocked for a loop by the electromagnetic energy and blinding flash, he briefly struggled to make altitude. He manages, though his targeting systems are useless until they recalibrate. He powers down and splits from his laser cannon form, re-emerging as Shockwave the purple cyclops. Clearing his vision enough to scan over the battlefield, and seeing that Blast Off has made a good initial effort on the turrets, he prepares orders. And then Blast Off gets attacked. It would seem the Autobots really hate space shuttles. Pity. He looks from the battle to the wreckage, back to the battle, then the wreckage once more. He knows, logically, that without additional air support, he will lose many taking the city. He was outplayed before he even arrived. Shockwave turns away from the city. Elita One - that they had so much time to prepare is entirely her doing. He will remember. << Decepticons, >> Shockwave transmits, << Pull back from the city and prepare defensive fortifications nearby. We are remaining here until additional resources can be allocated with our greater understanding of the situation. I repeat, withdraw immediately. Shockwave, out. >> With that, he blasts away from the conflict. <> Shockwave says, "Decepticons. Pull back from the city and prepare defensive fortifications nearby. We are remaining here until additional resources can be allocated with our greater understanding of the situation. I repeat, withdraw immediately. Shockwave, out." <> Air Commander Starscream says, "I will expect an answer for your failure Shockwave. For when Lord Megatron asks me." <> Shockwave says, "And you shall have it. Elita One's ambush of our forces provided them with time to prepare. I have withdrawn to avoid springing a trap on our ground forces." <> Blast Off says, "I'm hi-*zzzttttt* ......***CRASHHH!!!***" <> Shockwave pauses. "Brawl, retrieve Blast Off, if he is in need of retrieval." <> Air Commander Starscream says, "Understood. Recover all troops you can. Decepticon lives are not to be wasted." <> Shockwave continues, "Acknowledged, Starscream. The data that I have acquired indicates a greater need for air power than I anticipated." Blast Off manages to successfully destroy some of the weaponry (he's back on his game, finally). However, no matter how fast and agile you are, with all that firepower now directed at him, the Combaticon paper napkin- I mean shuttle- is likely going to find some of those shots connect. And indeed they do. Blast Off's thrusters roar in pain as he wobbles from another hit, this time damaging the rear end of the shuttle, leaving a trail of dark smoke in his wake as he struggles to keep course. He groans with effort, to no avail... for Discretions shot hits home, and Blast Off suddenly cries out as his systems short out on him- in mid-flight. Going fast. Oh.... frag. This is gonna hurt. He desperately tries to stop the incoming crash but flying bricks with no more self-power do not stay up for long. KA-THUD!!!!!! Smoke billows from the brown and purple spacecraft, or what's left of him.